Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande says universities across the country will not shut down during lockdown Alert Level 4, however, all classes will move online. Nzimande was briefing the media on measures to ensure compliance with regulations in the tertiary education sector.
As the Delta variant of COVID-19 ravages across the country, Nzimande says their main concern is the safety of staff and students.
“Institutions are expected to ensure their COVID-19 task teams are functional and active during this period. In terms of Level 4 lockdown, our universities do not officially close but all face-to-face teaching and examinations must halt for the next weeks. Learning will shift exclusively to online. Residents will remain open as it is not safe for students to travel back home,” says Nzimande.
Nzimande briefs media on COVID-19 lockdown Level 4 in Higher Education:
Nzimande has warned South Africans of the rapid transmission of the dominant Delta variant of COVID-19.
The variant, which was first detected in India is currently dominating the infection rate in Gauteng, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Gauteng has recorded almost 57% of the 19 506 new cases reported in the past 24-hours.
Latest SA COVID-19 stats:
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Minister Nzimande says it is for this reason that all classes at universities across the country will move online, for the duration of lockdown Alert Level 4.
“The Delta variant is rapidly displacing the Beta variant that had been dominant since the onset of the second wave. The first detection of the Delta variant in South Africa was a sample collected on the 24th of April 2021, there is now clear evidence of community transmission of the Delta variant in South Africa,” says Nzimande.
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